Every Grand Valley Parent Should Take 7 Minutes to Watch School Safety Video

You think it's never going to happen in Grand Junction, Colorado -or Fruita- or Palisade. But a major school emergency can happen any time, any place.

It's not something we like to think about. We have seen tragedies at schools all across the country in places just like the Grand Valley - places that aren't big metropolitan areas where you might expect heinous crimes to happen.

Lockdowns and shelter in place designations happen from time to time in Grand Junction, just as it did on Friday. Police found no indication of an active shooter or threat to anyone's safety. However, Tope Elementary and Grand Junction High School were put in lockdown as a precaution.

It's incidents like this that make this safety video completely relevant in our community. The Grand Junction Fire Department shared this video, explaining the process and procedures that have been put in place by local law enforcement agencies in the event of an emergency at one of our local schools.

While you hope and pray we never have a situation that requires this type of response, it is extremely comforting and encouraging that there is a contingency plan in place.

It would be good for everyone to take seven minutes out of their day to watch this video. There is good information for parents on what they should and shouldn't do during an emergency situation. There is also great advice for students to follow that could help keep them safe.

Safety is the name of the game. We want our kids to be safe in school, and we want to have confidence they are safe no matter what happens. I am happy to see our local first responders taking the threat of violence seriously and making the safety of our students a top priority.